Coin operated hair drying apparatus



Aug. 4, 1970 J. SCHMIDT G01N OFERATED HAIR DRYlNG APPARATUS FIG. 2

Filed March 4, 1968 FIG. I

H613 BY fmekw ATTORNEY United States Patent Oiice 3,522,869 Patented Aug. 4, 1970 3,522,869 COIN OPERATED HAIR DRYING APPARATUS Julia Schmidt, 623 Stolp Ave., Syracuse, N.Y. 13207 Filed Mar. 4, 196s, ser. No. 710,085 Int. Cl. G07f 5/00 U-S. Cl. 194--18 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A coin actuates a dispenser and a timer. The timer may control actuation of a heater and fan for an electric hair dryer while the dispenser provides a sanitary paper bonnet.

This invention is concerned with a system wherein a coin or group of coins controls the operation of a dispenser and a timer. The coin control system may operate directly on the dispenser and the timer or indirectly; that is, the coin may control operations of the dispenser and operation of the dispenser may in turn control operation of the timer, or vice versa.

An embodiment of the invention which is of particular value is a coin-operating hair dryer which can be used in public or semi-public places. It often'is necessary or advantageous for a women to be able to.use a hair dryer while away from home; for example, hotels may be willing to provide coin-operated hair dryers in rooms if they can be maintained and amortized by revenue from users. Also, it may prove advantageous forlaundromats, automative service stations and `other such business establishments to make coin-operated hair dryers available so that women can dry their hair while Waiting for their laundry, automobiles, etc. to be ready.

A coin-operated hair dryer according to this invention is an electrically powered unit containing a heater and blower similar to the conventional domestic hair dryer but made, perhaps, of more rugged materials. Such a unit may be light enough to be carried by hand, but ordinarily will be mounted on a standard and castered for rolling about a room. Also, the unit may, if desired, be mounted in a lounge chair or on a wall, preferably tlush, in which case the coin-controlled mechanism, the dispenser outlet and the hot air tube may be adjacent to, or remote from, each other.

In keeping with sanitary requirements, the combination includes a coin-operated vending component which dispenses a disposable paper bonnet having a short paper tube attached for connection to the hot air tube. The bonnet is made ample in size to cover the maximum amount of hair in style at any particular time. Such bonnet is preferably vented around its edge with a suiicient size and number of holes to allow for efficient drying. Advantageously, the bonnet may be provided with a shirr-string in a folded and cemented edge to fit any size head, but other means for size adjustment may be employed depending upon the practicality and economy. See, for eX- ample, U.S. Pat. 1,698,533. The bonnets are folded and packaged to fit in a dispensing unit to be vended in response to coin insertion.

The air tube can be of a type currently in use for hair dryers. F-or example, it could be a flexible accordion-type tube similar to those used on domestic dryers with a slight tension to cause it to retract when not in use, or it could be several ridged sleeves made to telescope from the machine with one ilexible length at the panel face to provide free movement.

In this invention, insertion of a coin in the coin-controlled apparatus or operation of the dispenser, serves t set, or allow the setting by hand of an electric timer. In the coin-operated hair dryer embodiment, the timer, when operating, serves to complete the electric circuit which Cil powers the heater-blower combination. Other controls can be included in this electric circuit; e.g. a rheostat to control the velocity of the air, a thermostat and/ or a rheo-I stat to govern the air temperature, etc. Auxiliary switches to disrupt running of the time period when the user needs to leave the area, etc., may be included and may be operated by manual or condition-sensing means.

While the invention will be described in its specic applicability to a coin-operated hair dryer, the principles of the device may be applied in -other situatons where dispensing and time-controlled functions need to be actuated simultaneously by a coin. For example, the principle may be applied to coin-operated automatic clothes washers, to dispense a packet of detergent along with activation of the washer. Likewise, the principle may be applied in automatic restaurant services to dispense a given item of food and actuate a food heater for a given period of time to prevent indiscriminate use of the heater, boiling over of food due to overheating, etc.

The invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. l is a front view of a coin-operated hair dryer according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional View of the hair dryer along the line 2-2 of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic of the electrical system used in the mechanism.

The apparatus may comprise the elongated housing 11 having all elements to be used by the patron present on its front. These elements include the flexible retractible tube 13 to which may be fastened the paper bonnet 15. Electrical controls include the control 18 for the switch 20, the control 22 for the fan rheostat 25 which controls the velocity of the air pumped by fan 28 due to operation of the motor 30 from air inlet openings 33. Control 36 operates rheostat 39 which regulates current passing to heating element 42 which is in the path of the air passing from openings 33 to tube 13. By means of these controls, both the velocity of the air and its temperature can be controlled by the user of the device to suit her preference.

Also exposed at the front of the housing 11 are a slot 44 for reception of a coin 48 and an opening 50 having the lower lip 52 for holding a dispensed package such as 55 containing a paper bonnet such as 15. Knob 58 operates the dispensing mechanism, as will be explained below.

As can be seen from FIG. 4, a suitable set of electrical leads 59 is provided for connection to a power source. When the switch 20 is closed, power flows thru lead 60 to the contact member 63 when coin 48 is present bridging the space between contact points 63 and 66. Timer mechanism 70 is connected in series with both the fan motor 30 and the heating element 42. The motor and heating element are advantageously connected in parallel to the line 72, fan motor 30 being connected to the power source by means of lead 75, rheostat 25 and lead 77 between timer 70 and the lead 72; heating element 42 being connected between timer 70 and lead 72 by the lead 80, the thermostat 82, the lead 84, rheostat 39 and lead 86. The thermostat 82 is provided to prevent overheating of the heating element 42 and is of conventional structure which need not be descrbied in detail here. Timer 70 may advantageously be built according to principles presented in U.S. Pat. 2,268,096. In this patent a timing device is set into operation by the presence of a coin between two electrical contact points. The completion of the circuit causes operation of an electric motor which, through suitable gearing slowly rotates the cradle containing the contact points which support the coin.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, the cardle 88 rotates within the more or the less circular cavity 90 and is held sutiiciently firmly against the contact points 63 and 66 so that the current will flow between these points and the cradle 88 will continue to rotate for 180, that is, until the coin 48 is over the slot 93 through which it may fall, under the influence of gravity, into the coin collection box 96.

The dispensing mechanism and its operation may be as follows. Packages 55, containing the disposable paper bonnets, may be stacked vertically within the compartment 99 and be retained therein by the support 101 which is rigidly fastened at the bottom of the arm 103 which is pivotally held by the ear 105 fastened to the front wall 107 of compartment 99. Movement of the arm 103 toward the front of housing 11 is normally prevented by stop arm 111 which is pivoted at 113 and which is provided with the tongue 115 which normally projects into the coin passageway 117 which leads from coin slot 44 to timer '70. It will be noted that spring'121 is so fastened to the stop arm 111 in relation to the fulcrum point 113 that the stop arm will be biased horizontally when it is horizontal and will be biased vertically when the weight of the coin 48 on the tongue 115 and subsequent depression of this tongue causes vertical orientation of the stop arm 111.

Disengagement of stop arm 111 from its position abutting arm 103 allows the lower part of arm 103, connected to the rod 123 to be pulled forward by the user of the device, using knob 58. Such action releases the lowermost package 55 in the stack, allowing this package to fall into the chute 125 and slide to the cavity 50 where the patron may retrieve it. This action also causes the top portion of arm 103, acting through the loose linkage 127 to restore the stop arm 111 to an almost horizontal orientation, bearing against the arm 103.

Spring 129, which bears against collar 131 which is, in turn, rigidly fastened to the rod 123 forces arm 103 back to its normal position when the handle 58 is released. This action puts support 101 back under the next package in the stack in compartment 99. Also, this action of arm 103 allows spring 121 to restore the stop arm 111 to its fully horizontal orientation.

It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the mechanism of the drawings is but a preferred embodiment and may be varied considerably without departing from the essential spirit of this invention. For example, instead of the dispensing mechanism and the timer mechanism being operated sequentially by the coin, as shown, the coin may operate only the timer, with the dispensing mechanism being operated, in turn, by the timer circuit. Thus the line 60 could include a solenoid to operate the stop member 111, with tongue 115 being eliminated. Alternatively, operation of the stop member 111, arm 103 or knob 58 in response to the dropping of a coin, could be used to operate a relay switch to close the gap between contacts 63 a'nd 66 to start the running of the timer mechanism 70.

It thus can be seen that a mechanism according to this invention, by putting operative mechanisms for control of a dispensing function and a timing function in a single pathway for a coin, combines a timer and a dispenser into a unitary device; and makes possible the provision of a hair dryer in public or semi-public places which can be operated by a coin and which will observe necessary hygienic precautions.

What is claimed is:

1. Coin operated apparatus for drying hair comprising:

(a) a housing forming an enclosure for a plurality of the operating parts of the apparatus;

(i) means forming a passageway defining a path through which a coin may travel in said housing, said means including a slot in the housing through which the coin maybe inserted and a coin collection receptacle disposed within the housing in spaced relation to the slot;

(b) means releasably supporting a bonnet to be worn about the head of an individual, said bonnet having an opening for communicating the interior of the bonnet with a source of heated air;

(c) means for supplying heated air to the interior of the bonnet, said means including a tube, a fan, and a source of heat; and

(d) control means for releasably dispensing a bonnet and for energizing the means for supplying heated air to the tube, said control means including:

(i) a coin actuated linkage, part of which projects into the coin receiving passageway in the housing, and

(ii) an electric circuit regulating the supply of heated air, said circuit being energized by the presence of the coin in a predetermined location in said passageway,

the apparatus being effective to release a bonnet and to provide a supplyof heated air upon the insertion of a coin in the passageway.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including timer means for regulating energization of the fan and the source of heat.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said timer means is in series in said circuit with the fan motor and source of heat which in turn are connected in parallel relative to one another.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein means are provided for adjusting the speed of the fan motor.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said source of heat is an electrical resistance heater and means are provided for adjusting output of the heater.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,132,253 10/1938 Wirt 194-9 2,843,293 7/ 1958 Burgoyne 22'2129.4 3,155,212 11/1964 Hines 194-10 3,292,821 12/1966 Cowley 194-3 X STANLEY H. TOLLBERG, Primary Examiner 

